Climate: China pulls out of the 2028 COP, but greenhouse gas emissions appear to have already peaked
Beijing has decided not to host the global conference on climate change, which will take place after those in Turkey and Ethiopia. The world’s second-largest economy accounts for a third of global CO₂ emissions and is building coal-fired power stations at a record pace, but by 2026 emissions had already begun to fall, thanks to the push for renewables (and the Hormuz crisis).
from our correspondent Gianluca Di Donfrancesco
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ANTALYA (TURKEY) – China has decided not to host COP33 in 2028. The long-rumoured prospect of a global climate conference taking place in the world’s second-largest economy – and the largest in terms of greenhouse gas emissions – has now been ruled out. Beijing has decided not to put itself forward as a candidate.
Leading the way on greenhouse gases and leading the way in green initiatives
China accounts for a third of the CO₂ emitted into the atmosphere each year and continues to build coal-fired power stations (the most polluting of all fuels) at a rapid pace. It is also the country that invests the most in renewables. This is a cornerstone of its approach to global power: it aims to dominate green technologies and minimise its dependence on energy imports, which always leave it vulnerable to blackmail and external shocks. A lesson that Europe is learning (once again) the hard way, with the US war against Iran and Russia’s war against Ukraine, to mention just the most recent examples.
The Beijing regime has set 2030 as the deadline by which its CO₂ emissions will peak, before beginning to fall. In reality, this milestone may already have been reached. In the third quarter of this year, emissions fell by 3 per cent, partly due to the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. Carbon Brief estimates that this is the sharpest quarterly reduction since the Covid lockdowns of 2022. Since the start of the year, CO₂ released into the atmosphere is thought to have fallen by 0.5 per cent.
On an annual basis, the increase in energy production from solar, wind and nuclear sources (110 terawatt-hours) was equivalent to Germany’s total electricity generation.
A COP always puts pressure on the host country, which finds its performance under the microscope – not only in terms of climate action, but also with regard to respect for human rights (albeit to a much lesser extent, paradoxically). Turkey and Australia, this year’s co-chairs, are constantly criticised for their heavy reliance on coal. Ankara has also been criticised for celebrating the discovery of two oil fields, just as it was presenting a proposal to increase the share of electricity in global energy consumption to 35 per cent.
